A lasting change of Heart

If the medium is the message, Heart Evangelista’s off-white, plunging neckline outfit at the ABS-CBN Main Dining Hall, where the Panday presscon was held, says a mouthful about the new her.

The effect is all-woman but not vamp-like; sensuous but not seductive. Just right for someone who plays a mature role as the wife of a hero (Panday, played by Jericho Rosales). Heart must maintain a wholesomeness while taking on the not-so-nubile role as wife (complete with light kissing scenes) at the same time.

At 21, Heart herself knows she can no longer be the childish, flighty person her detractors described her to be. She is now more open to people, having mended fences with Bea Alonzo.

"We’re friends and I want to shout that to the world," Heart declares.

This new-found peace reflects in Heart’s worry-free look; in skin that can only belong to someone in the pink of health.

It even extends on the set, where Heart gently reminds Jericho to stay cool, take it easy in the middle of all that fighting, running and jumping he has to do as Panday. Heart tells Jericho to slow down, and he obeys.

The slowing down consists of dates – harmless ones, they are quick to add, never mind if this is disappointing fans aching to fan the flames of romance.

"Yes, we go out on dates, but minus any commitment," Heart clarifies.

Slowing down also means hitting the La Union beaches with Heart and surfing together for all they’re worth. Water lover Jericho, no stranger to the natives of La Union, has taught Heart how to surf. And she can’t be more touched and grateful all at the same time.

"It’s so much fun!" she gushes. "I’m fond of the sea, because my dad and I used to go fishing there. It’s been so long since someone took me there."

So thrilled was Heart with the experience she asked the staff of the family-owned Barrio Fiesta to prepare a feast for the Panday staff and the La Union residents right then and there.

The walking-on-air feeling is mutual. Jericho swears there is never a dull moment with Heart around.

"She knows a lot about the issues surrounding me and I can show my real self to her," Jericho explains their unmistakable chemistry as husband and wife on screen.

Heart wisely refuses to dip her hands on issues surrounding Jericho and former girlfriend Cindy Kurleto, though.

"I don’t know her enough," Heart begs off.

She is more definite and open about Jericho’s impact on her.

"We think the same way," she concludes. "I found that out even before we started shooting Panday (also the TV comeback of Victor Neri who is cast as a villain), while we were into workshops. I would start humming a tune and, before I know it, Echo would finish it for me."

It’s too early to tell just how far this chemistry will take either of them, even if more and more people are rooting for them as a real-life loveteam. And neither Jericho nor Heart would hazard a guess.

All Heart knows is that she will not pretend something more than meets the eye is going on between them if nothing of that sort is happening. Putting up with an image just to add spice to the promo about the love story between her character, Eden and Panday is a no-no, she says.

"I will let everyone know I am in love the very minute I feel it inside," she promises. "And I don’t need a gimmick just to create hype for that."

What you see is what you get: that’s what Heart Evangelista wants to tell all of us. Until then, Heart’s followers have no choice but to join a wait-and-see game as unpredictable as the twists and turns of her new ABS-CBN adventure series.

As Panday creator Carlo J. Caparas says, "This new version offers a lot of surprises. Its special effects make me green with envy. We didn’t have this kind of technology at our command when we made Panday."

His wife Donna Villa adds, "It’s so epic in scope it’s not just another teleserye. I’d like to call it a cineserye. Am I glad ABS-CBN greenlighted the project when Carlo and I presented it to network executives."

The final verdict, though, will come from televiewers. Will they adjudge this latest take on a legend, originally played by Fernando Poe Jr., equal, or even better than the first?

The verdict will not be long in coming. You and I will find out a few weeks from now, when Panday takes a dramatic bow on our television screens.